July 14th, 2011
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/14/2011
War-date Union soldier Autograph Letter Signed by John W Parker 45th Illinois, 6pp. quarto (4pp.) & octavo (2pp.) Head Quarters 45th Regt. Ills. Vols, La Grange, Tennessee, November 24, 1862, with transmittal cover, it reads in part: “...We left Jackson on the 2nd of this month taking the cars as far as Boliver...the 4th we took up the line of march early...The roads was very dusty sometimes we could not see the length of the Co. ahead and what made it still worse the troops ahead set all the fence along the road afire and we had often to run to get out of the heat and smoke...in the morning we went out on picket guard passing a rather rough night...we were relieved and went to camp and put up board and brush houses as we had no tents and the nights was cool. I tell you the way the board fences flew was a terror. The next day the Capt, 2 of the boys and myself went out to see if we could not get something to eat...We took one of the niggers along with us. We were not long gone before we met two negroes with a horse, each so we made them dismount and got on ourselves...we came to a lot of horses in a field so one of the boys and myself catched two splendid horses and rode them...we came to a house where there was lots of bee hives and the folks told him that they did not belong to them that they only had the house rented. They further said that the hives belonged to a man that was in the secesh army and that we might take as much as we pleased, so we picked in as soldiers know how. We took 2 hives home and took over 100lbs of honey out of them. We also got a lot of sweet potatoes and bought some chickens from the man that lived in the house...we took the horses back to the owner who seemed to be surprised that we brought them back...today our company had to guard prisoners. We only have 500 here now, the rest are all sent away, they nearly all want to take the oath and go home, they all live in this state...The enemy have evacuated Holly Springs and are now at Talahatchie...our cavalry have skirmishes nearly every day and have taken about 500 prisoners...In regards to the removal of General McClellan...I will say that let him belong to whatever party he may, I am glad that he is removed he has been too long idle. I never knew he was a Democrat till he was removed. I do not know on what side Gen. Grant stands but I know this that he has done something and whenever he moves on the enemy he fights and licks them. The Eastern Army are better clad, bed, and shod then our Western Army and still they have done less. Our boys don’t make a show with white gloves and red shirts but they make the show when it comes to fighting. The President never stopped McClellan from taking Richmond, it is base to think he would do the like, but when Old Mac got in a snot [Major General John] Pope was sent to let him out and when he did so old Mac put back to Washington and let Pope do all the fighting...This was done to kill Pope out for he was a Western Gen. and Mac was afraid he would out general him and then out rank him. Give me Pope, Seigal or Burnside before Mac everytime. I do not look at politics in the matter I am no Abolitionist yet but further from it then ever. I wish that the negroes were all left alone but still I will support the President’s proclamation..For the people here will twll us with a snarl that if we left them their niggers would fight us till the day of judgment. I am also glad that Buel is removed for he had a army enough to have given Bragg an awful thrashing, this we know and Bragg will own to it himself but we have now got a good fighting man in his sted who will do his duty...” Fine condition.
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